Lovesick Blondes and a Loaded Shotgun
by roguetimechild
Summary: Jo Harvelle and Ruby form an unlikely alliance as they set out to help Sam Winchester find his AWOL brother while denying the romanticism of their motives for trying to save him.
1. Black Eyed Blonde

I want Ruby-Jo interaction on the actual show so much it's not even funny. Sadly, an obstacle in fulfilling such a sentiment is their death. I searched for some Ruby-Jo friendship fics to remedy this, but found none. Other events and occurences later, this story happens.

Expect some Dean/Jo (something I want more than a Ruby-Jo friendship) and some Sam/Ruby. (That's supposed to be where the "lovesick" part comes in.)

No rights to Supernatural.

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><p>Normally, Jo wouldn't bother answering her phone in the middle of life-threatening combat, but a glance at the caller I.D. on her cell phone told her that it was probably important.<p>

She fired off her shotgun and her opponent was flung backwards, taking a few wooden tables down with her. The remaining squatters in the bar finally got the sense to scurry for safety.

As her opponent regained her composure, naturally impervious to bullets, Jo flipped open her phone.

"Sam, if this isn't important . . ." she warned. She'd already assumed it was. The Winchesters rarely called her, which she kind of resented.

"Jo, where are you?" a frantic voice replied.

"Idaho, why?" she asked, firing off another shot as the monster got to her feet, sending her to the floor again.

"It's Dean. He's gone."

Jo liked Dean. In fact, at times, she _really_ liked Dean. But somehow, she wasn't very concerned. "Have you checked all the local bars?"

"Jo, I'm serious."

"Look, Sam," Jo began, approaching her stumbling opponent, "it's not like you haven't run off before. Soon enough, your brotherly bond will draw you both back together and you can ride your Impala into the sunset all before supper."

"I don't think it's that simple," Sam went on. "Jo, he left without the car."

Oh. Now, it was serious. Dean without the Impala was like Batman without a cape.

"Where'd you last see him?" Jo pressed.

"Last night in our motel. He went to sleep first."

"What's the last thing you guys hunted?"

"A werewolf in Lubbock, Texas, but we killed it. _I _killed it. It wouldn't come after him."

"What's the last thing you let get away?" Jo continued.

There was a pause, as if he was thinking hard under an intense crime crunch. Jo was surprised he could think at all without his wingman. "Um . . ." a pained voice started, "probably some demons."

"Well, there's your answer, hot stuff," Jo threw up her hand with the shotgun in it.

As she brought the gun back down to her side, it was suddenly wrenched from her grasp. Her opponent grabbed in by the nose and pulled it toward her, hopping to her feet in time to point the weapon back at her.

"Crap," Jo muttered, her hand feeling uncharacteristically empty. "Sam, can I call you back?"

"Tell Sam I say 'hey,'" her opponent requested snarkily.

Jo shrugged, not seeing the harm in it. "Some evil thing says 'hey.'"

"That voice . . ." Sam trailed off thoughtfully. "Is that . . . ?"

"Bye, Sam," Jo flipped the phone closed in shoved it into her jean pocket, then turned her attention to her rival. "Now, sweetie, let me ask nicely first: Can I have that back, please?"

"Sure," the monster shrugged, exaggeratedly cooperative. "One condition, though."

"And what would that be?" Jo put her hands on her hips.

The blonde monster threw up the gun and caught it, facing its front towards the ceiling. A much less threatening position. "You hear me out."

Jo, squinted her eyes skeptically, but cautiously agreed. "Okay, shoot."

"My name is Ruby," she revealed, "and no matter what you see me eyes do, I'm not a demon."

Eye blackening is why Jo had attacked her in the first place. That sort of thing does just happen to humans willy-nilly.

"Any way you could make your story a little more believable?" Jo requested.

"Yes, actually," Ruby nodded perkily. "Here, hold this." She threw the gun back to Jo, and since it was such a gesture of good faith, Jo decided not to try shooting her again for a little while.

Ruby hopped over the bar, rummaged around the shelves, and retrieved a container of salt. She slid her jacket off one arm at a time, and then made sure she had Jo's attention. She proceeded to pour a fountain of salt down the length of her right arm.

"See?" Ruby said, unfazed. "Doesn't hurt a bit."

"Then explain the black-eyed moment," Jo pressed.

"Word to the wise," she began, returning the salt container, "don't dabble in witchcraft, and especially don't try to make yourself immortal."

"Is that what happened to you?"

"It's exactly what happened to me," Ruby nodded, sliding her jacket back on and shaking salt out of the sleeves. "Naturally, I'm not immortal, but my eyes go black and only a select few things can kill me, which are conveniently some characteristics held by a certain species I'd rather not be associated with."

Ruby glanced over at Jo as she readjusted her collar. "You don't believe me?"

"I'm suspicious," Jo corrected.

A question suddenly sprang to Jo's mind that probably should have come up earlier.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

Ruby tried to smile warmly, but it still came off as a sort of smirk as she replied, "To help you save Dean Winchester."

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><p>Why, yes, that was quite short.<p>

Anyway, this might be updated kind of slowly. Apologies if that happens. Perhaps working on four simultaneous fics wasn't the smartest of plans.


	2. Motivations

No rights to Supernatural.

One review. Yusss. (Not sarcasm. I'm actually quite grateful.) I do appreciate those things.

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><p>Jo wasn't stupid. She went through a vast questionnaire before it was decided that Ruby wasn't, in fact, a demon.<p>

"Satisfied, blondie?" Ruby put her hands on her hips after a good number of tests and questions. "Now call back Sam and get details about saving Dean."

"Why do you want to save Dean," Jo asked, "if you're just some random, backwoods former witch?"

"Why do you want to save Dean," Ruby countered, "if you're just some random, backwoods waitress?"

"Dean's my friend," she replied simply.

"Sam's mine," Ruby shrugged. "Er, well, he was at one point."

"Why not anymore?"

"Why so nosy?"

"Black-eyed blonde comes into your restaurant, you aren't a little suspicious?"

"Wouldn't know," Ruby said. "I've never been a waitress."

"I've never been a witch," Jo shot back. "We all lack experience in certain areas."

"Are you gonna keep wise-crackin' or are you gonna save Dean?" Ruby pressed.

Jo finally put her shotgun down on the bar. "What makes you think I'd want to save him? I've got a life, too, you know."

"Two reasons," Ruby began, running a hand across a wooden table beside her. "One, from what I hear, you're quite the hunter type, as in you try to save people when their life is on the line because it's the right thing to do.

"How'd you know I was a hunter?" Jo squinted suspiciously.

"You tried to kill me at my eye-blackening, duh."

"No, I mean how'd you know before that."

Ruby shrugged innocently. "Girls can't have knowledge? Come on. It's the twenty-first century. Anyway, the second reason I expect you to let me into your car as we road trip to save Mr. Winchester is a touchier one, and you're probably going to deny it."

"What is it?" Jo frowns.

"Because you have been madly crushing on Jo on and off for months."

Jo would stand for this tomfoolery. Her head cocked back and her eyebrows rose intimidatingly. How _dare _this girl come in here and be so . . . accurate.

Her feelings about Dean were very inconsistent, so she'd even gotten the "on and off" part right. Every time Dean got dragged back into her life, she was crushing little Jo again. She wished Dean could see her on a regular basis and note how sufficient and tough she could be without him hanging over her. But it was sweet, his martyr complex and overprotectiveness was, beneath all that brusqueness and snark. Also, he was a remarkable hunter, which was really an outstanding quality to Jo. He was frustrating at times, _lots_ of the time, but somehow, Jo found her way back to pining for him often.

Not that random girls were allowed to burst in with their black eyes and heinous attitudes and exploit that.

"Why don't you just leave?" Jo suggested, gesturing towards the exit.

"Great. Should I wait in the car?"

"Obviously not."

"Jeesh, Jo," Ruby rolled her eyes. "What part of Dean-is-in-trouble didn't you understand?"

"If I decide to go help him, I don't need to drag you along."

"I'm a great help, though," Ruby informed her. "I found out all that dirt on you, didn't I?"

"Yeah, how did you know that?"

"Because I've got mad skills."

Jo stared her down doubtfully.

Ruby scoffed. "Look, I may not be evil myself, but I am tapped into their circuits from time to time. With these eyes, me listening in isn't as questioned as it would be if it were being done by someone like you.

"Oh, and also, there's this."

Ruby reached down to her boot and yanked something out, brandishing it for Jo to see. It was a knife, obviously meant for pain with how jagged its edge was. The blade was smooth and the handle curved just slightly so that it's handler could maneuver it with ease.

"Is that supposed to impress me?" Jo asked lazily.

"Yes, actually," Ruby nodded. "This thing could kill more than just you."

Jo cocked her head to the side. "Vampires?"

"You name it," Ruby gestured around her, as if loads of other supernatural creatures were piled in there. "This thing can get information out of someone real fast."

"Useful," Jo admitted.

"So we going?" Ruby pushed. "Your lover awaits."

Jo fiddled with the end of her shotgun as she considered the stupidity of driving off with a suspicious, occasionally black-eyed, admitted former magic-using, knife-wielding stranger. There were obvious concerns.

"Can I ask you something?" Jo inquired.

"I'm an open book," Ruby held out her arms to demonstrate said openness.

"Why would you want to save Dean?"

"I told you, Sam's my friend."

"And that's it?" she made sure.

"Are you implying Sam's more than a friend?" Ruby asked coldly.

"What? No, that's not what I was saying all," Jo denied, but the comment sparked her interest. "Why, are you?"

"No," she answered a little heavily. She fidgeted uncomfortably.

A smile spread over Jo's features. "_Oooh_," she grinned.

"Shut up," Ruby spat.

"That's sweet," Jo teased. "Looks like I'm not the only lovesick blonde around here."

Ruby didn't look at her and chewed on her lip. For what felt like the first time since Jo had met her, she didn't shoot a wisecrack at her, which meant she must have crammed a lot of wisecracks in during their short time together if its quantity had already been noted.

Sam was sweet, and forgiving, and caring, and sensitive, and _hot_. Ruby didn't find much to not like about him.

Jo stared her down for a few more seconds, deducting her plans and motives, and then came to a decision.

First, she checked to make sure her shotgun was loaded. Ruby might actually be bad, after all, and she might find something to shoot.

Next, she pulled out her cell phone again and searched through her contacts for the number.

"Hi, Sam," she greeted at the answer. "Can I get details on the Dean thing?"


	3. Forgiving Types

No rights to Supernatural.

Wait, guys...time period.

It's set in season four. Ruby 2.0 is still out there and Jo is more reminscent of the Jo we met in season five than of season two. Ruby 1.0 hopped back in her body after season three.

And there you go. Context.

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><p>Sam last saw Dean in Lakeview, Oregon a state over from where Jo and Ruby were now. Jo assumed it would be about a day's drive, but she didn't have the keenest sense of road trip travel time, so she gave a Sam a vague "on my way" rather than a reputable timestamp.<p>

"Why are you asking for my help anyway?" Jo asked. "I would think you're capable enough to handle this on your own."

"Believe me, I've tried," Sam assured her. "I can't seem to find him anywhere. I figure another set of eyes could help me out."

"Make that three," Jo told him. "I've been talked into bringing along this one girl I'm assuming you know. Here name is—"

Jo was cut off when the phone was ever so rudely snatched from her grasp and flipped closed.

"Hey!" Jo exclaimed.

"New rule," Ruby began. "Sam and Dean are not to know that I'm a part of this."

"Why? I thought you knew them."

"Which may not work in my favor," she said, holding the cell phone back out to Jo as it starting quivering. "Mum's the word, you got it?"

Jo gave Ruby a puzzled look as she took the phone back. She decided not to trust her completely just yet, as if the black eyes didn't instill such doubts within her already.

"Sorry about that," she told Sam as she put the phone back to her ear.

"No worries," Sam assured her. "You said something about a third set of eyes, right?"

"Umm . . ."

"So Ellen's coming, too?"

Oh, right. Her mother.

"Yeah, maybe," Jo decided. She doubted her mom would be so susceptible to Ruby's persuasion. "Where should I meet you?"

Sam gave her a location, they said their fluffy, cordial goodbyes, and hung up.

"Ready to roll?" Ruby clapped her hands together.

Jo stowed her phone in her back pocket. "Let's get the Winchester," she agreed. "Minor problem, though."

"What would that be?" Ruby inquired.

"If you're tagging along, the issue arises that I don't have a car."

"_What?"_ Ruby frowned, looking at Jo as if she was imbecilic for suggesting such a concept. "How is that even possible?"

"I ride with my mom, like, everywhere," Jo defended. "Didn't really need one." At Ruby's pointed eye-roll, she shot back, "I'm sorry, do _you _have a car."

"No," she admitted.

"Then, shut up!"

"I have a motorcycle," she reveals, "but I doubt you want to cling to my waist for the next few hours."

Jo agreed. "I can ask to borrow my mom's car."

"We're bringing dear ol' mum along?"

"It's likely," said Jo. "Not much sense in her butting out of my life now, is there? Especially if means she has to part ways with her car."

"A little resentful of mommy, are you?"

"Nah," Jo shook her head, starting for the exit. "She's just being a mom."

Ruby fell in step beside her. "I was never into moms."

"You don't like your mom?"

"Don't even know if she's alive," Ruby told her. "You think if my mom and I were close, I would've gotten into witchcraft?"

"I suppose not."

"I regret it, though. I mean, after hanging out with Sam and Dean for a while, you start thinking maybe family is pretty swell after all."

"What Sam and Dean have isn't brotherhood," Jo scoffed. "It's Romeo-and-Juliet style codependence."

Ruby chuckled as they stepped out of the exit together. Some of the squatting locals who'd seen the disturbance between Ruby and Jo gaped, wide-eyed.

"We've worked out our differences," Jo shrugged at them. "Enjoy the rest of your day."

They continued walking. "The hotel my mom's at is just around the corner. We should be on our way soon."

"Goody," Ruby commented.

"So what do you think snatched up Dean?" Jo mused. "Vetala, maybe?"

"Could be anything," Ruby responded. "I just know I'm probably going to help snatch him back. Again."

"Again?" Jo repeated.

"I have a track record when it comes to saving Winchester boys," she explained, "yet they still don't seem to appreciate me. Or notice when a demonic imposter claims to be me."

"That proves something," Jo offered. "It proves they actually did trust you if the bad guys went to the trouble of pretending to be you. Sincerest form of flattery, they say."

Ruby shrugged, unconvinced. "I s'pose," she mumbles. "What about you? Sam trusts you enough to call you. What your track record with the golden boys?"

"I thought you creepily knew all about me," Jo pointed out.

"Not everything," she admits. "I know you've the hots for the older one and that baby Winchester was bodysnatched and sexually assaulted you."

"Yup," she responded.

"And he still finds the nerve to call you when he's in a bind?"

"Wasn't him. All's forgiven."

"Well, aren't you the forgiving type?" Ruby commented.

"It's a healthy lifestyle," Jo shrugs.

"Impressive," Ruby commented. "Respectable."

"What about you?" Jo asked. "You're not the merciful type?"

"Sort of," she replies. "I don't expect people to be nice to me, so I'm not fazed when they aren't. I mean, you shot at me and now we're small-talking, right?"

"Suddenly I feel like a disappointment," Jo frowns.

"You should. Jerk."


	4. Sympathizing

Obviously, this hasn't been updated in some time. However, I've recently gotten some very encouraging review. (Thanks so much you guys!) At the last review I recieved, (Thanks, CrocodileTears98!) I decided to finally write this chapter.

No rights to Supernatural.

* * *

><p>"Swanky," Ruby commented.<p>

"As if you could afford better," Jo retorted. "Our room is on the second floor. Hope you don't mind climbing some steps in those boots of yours."

"I hope I don't step on a prostitute on the way up."

Jo rolled her eyes. She climbed the steps of the sleazy motel, rapping against the door she and her mom were checked into.

"Mom, open up," she called inside. "I have a long-winded request for you."

They waited a moment. No answer.

"Are you two fighting or something?" Ruby frowned.

"Constantly," Jo replied, "but she should still manage to open the door."

She fished the key card out of her pocket and inserted it into the slot above the door handle.

"You didn't think to use that first?"

"It's less effort what your mom opens the door for you," Jo responded, realizing her card was flipped the wrong way, turning it over, and hoping Ruby didn't notice.

"Does co-dependency run among hunters?"

"I thought you were one. Shouldn't you know?"

"I'm more of a lone wolf," Ruby replied as the door opened.

Jo trudged inside, laying her card on the motel desk close to the door. "Mom, didn't you hear me—"

She froze.

"What? What is it?" Ruby inquired, stepping inside behind her. Peeking past Jo, her eyes widened. "Oh, crap."

Ellen Harvelle's dead body was sprawled peacefully on the bed, her eyes lightly closed. She could've been sleeping, if not for the gaping, bloody wound across her stomach.

"I guess you get to borrow the car," Ruby commented.

Jo shot her a look, which Ruby cringed at. The look was stunned, appalled, shaken, and Ruby didn't think it suited her.

"What happened?" Jo asked no one in particular.

"Someone sliced a hole in your mom," Ruby replied.

Jo gave her another mortified expression. "Okay, I'm glad you're having fun with this, but please keep the retorts to yourself."

Ruby bit back another comment.

Truthfully, Ruby was capable of sympathy. She was, however, inexperienced in expressing it.

Jo trotted up the bed her mother was on and shook her shoulders.

"Mom? _Mom_!"

Ellen's head tilted back as her shoulder were heaved upward, her jaw falling closed. Clearly dead. But Jo kept shaking her.

Ruby watched the exchange, her expression deadpan, not knowing what to do with herself. She absentmindedly slid her hand across the motel desk, back and forth.

Tears brimmed to Jo's eyes, and Ruby turned away. When she dared a glance back up at her, tears were streaming down her face.

What should she do? Should she comfort the grieving girl bent over her dead mom? Or continue to pretend not to notice what's going on?

She went with the latter, and kept sliding her hand over the desk.

Jo dropped her mother back on the bed and ran a hand through her hair, leaning against the other bed to support her shaky body.

"Who could've done this?" Jo said, again to no one in particular. "The door was locked. My mom has skills. Who could've gotten the drop on her?"

Ruby noticed the very obvious open condition of the window, but maybe you weren't supposed to point out the obvious the people who were upset.

In her absent hand-sliding, she nudged something. A paper pad, common in motels. A note was scrawled on it in messy, black ink.

Her eyes widened as she scanned the note, read over its contents three times over.

And she realized exactly _who _could've done this to Ellen.

Taking advantage of Jo's distracted condition, she tore the note from the pad and stuffed it into her jacket pocket before Jo could notice.

"It's because of Sam and Dean," Ruby blurted.

Jo turned her splotchy, red face toward her. "What?"

"Her murder," Ruby said, nudging her head towards Ellen. "You guys were close to Sam and Dean, right? Dean's capture, now this? It's probably trying to get some sort of message across to Sam."

"What message?"

Ruby fumbled. "I . . . maybe just some group of monsters who feel wronged by them."

Jo looked unconvinced.

"Or," Ruby tried again, "maybe someone intercepted your phone call and did this to discourage you from saving Dean. Maybe the demons that have captured him."

Jo thought about this. "Then, maybe we shouldn't save Dean."

"Who else have you got to lose?" Ruby pointed out. "Besides, I don't think these demons will ever be convinced that you're not going to go after him. They might come after you next. I'd say the best way to end all of this is actually save Dean."

Jo leaned against the bed.

"And not to be insensitive," Ruby continued, urgency creeping into her voice, "but they're probably close by. They could come back if they know you're here. You probably don't have time to burn the body."

Jo nodded forcefully. "Yeah, I get it," she said. She rose to her feet, taking once last glance at her dead mother's body. "We should go."

Ruby waited nervously for her to come strutting out the door like the fierce chick she'd heard so much about in the hunter circuit, but she just kept gazing at the body.

"You know what?" Jo said, a break in her voice. "The keys are on the desk. Why don't you go start the car?"

Ruby gazed at Jo for a moment, wanting to say something, but having little clue where to start. She finally plucked the mass of keys from the desk, struggled with herself for a moment, but ultimately, left the motel room without a word.

She shut the door behind her, stuffing her hands in her pockets. The edges of her fingers brushed the note there, and she swallowed the lump that formed in her throat.


End file.
